Halloween, a contraction of “All Hallows’ Evening”, is a yearly celebration on the 31stof October and certainly the spookiest night of the year, where spirits wander the earth freely and children wandering the neighborhood trick-or-treating and pranking anyone who’ll cross their way. As Hallow’s Eve approaches, Hellofood, the mobile and online food ordering marketplace, gathered some spooky facts.
Everyone has ‘that one food’ that makes their stomach turn. Still, many people try weird exotic tastes when traveling as part of the adventure. Only a few, however, would try to eat what Bear Grylls has. So if you think you have a strong stomach and you’re brave enough, Hellofood selected some of the most horrifying delicacies found in different corners of the world: Ant Larvae, Tarantulas, Barbecued Bats, Fried Rattlesnake, Thousand Year Old Eggs.
Ant Larvae is a species of ants, surprisingly widespread in Mexico as well as Southeast Asia. Often referred to as “Mexico Caviar”, some say the texture is like risotto and the taste depends on the chef’s choice of the rest of the ingredients.
If you find yourself in Cambodia looking for a challenge, look to any street with food vendors and you’ll find the deep-fried palm-sized tarantulas named ‘a-ping’. Apparently ‘arachnophobia’ is not popular in Cambodia.
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From Indonesia, Hellofood chose the Barbecued bat. Cooks normally singe off the fur, then remove the wings and head. Depending on the size of the bat, the body is chopped up for stew or stir-fry – with the bones and everything. If you can’t take the gamey smell of the cave-dwelling mammal, ask for extra garlic, pepper and chili.
Most people, including Indiana Jones, are afraid of snakes. But Texas isn’t one of them. In fact, you’ll probably find the ‘fried rattlesnake’ at various restaurants across the state. The old recipe, dating from 1958, has the snake decapitated to avoid the venom, marinated in sweet milk, coated in cornmeal, then deep-fried. People say it tastes like chicken, of course.
In China there is an interesting approach to egg-cooking: They cover duck, chicken or quail eggs with a mix of clay, ash, quicklime, salt and straw and let them sit for months to cure. The yolks turn deep-green and soften; the whites disintegrate into a transparent amber jelly. Reeking of sulphur, they’re served with silken tofu or pork, scallions and ginger, in the rice porridge known as congee, or simply as part of a banquet platter of cold finger foods.
Essentially, when someone is scared, their body immediately goes on high alert and prepares itself for battle by initiating the infamous “fight, flight or freeze” response. However, here’s an interesting fact that might help you go that extra mile: you only have two fears when you are born; the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. They are built into your DNA and have passed on from generation to generation as a survival mechanism. Their sole purpose is to keep you alive, and create emotion that will motivate you to avoid danger. Every other fear you face you have absorbed throughout your life.
Happy Halloween!
Hellofood, together with its affiliated brands foodpanda and Delivery Club, is a mobile and online food ordering marketplace, active in more than 40 countries across five continents.
